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I know it's the state plant of Oregon but I never had much of a love for what we in the UK call the Mahonia until I discovered that you can use the berries for among other things, preserves (the jelly tastes rather like rowan but with a fab deep, rich burgundy colour. Great with rich meats).

Earlier this year I got a shedload of berries and rather than making more jelly I decided to have a crack at using them for wine & my oh my, is it tasty! Fantastic colour and a really full flavour, easily the best home made wine I've managed to make so far and from a recipe I concocted myself because I couldn't find one in my books.

Definitely one I'll be doing again next year - thank goodness I kept notes about how I made it!

I didn't know you could eat Mahonia berries. We had a big Mahonia plant in the garden when we were young - we used to pick the berries and use them to write things on the garden gate (and would then get told off...)

................................................................................................................................The richer we have become materially, the poorer we have become morally and spiritually. We have learned to fly in the air like birds and swim in the sea like fish, but we have not learned the simple art of living together as brothers and sisters.

There's a world of difference between "can be eaten", "worth eating" and "worth growing to eat" though ! Like a lot of the unusual fruit and vegetable varieties, if it is not commonly eaten there might be a reason why ... from my quick google, I get the impression that they are rather tart, but wine seems to be the best use for them. As they are acidic and vitamin C loaded, I bet it ferments at quite a pace !

I know this is an old post but I'm hoping to get a response. I just picked over a gallon of Mahonia Berries and thought I'd make wine. Usually I've made jelly or jam from them, because they are so incredibly high in natural pectins. This year has been such a bumper berry crop that I can't face another batch of jam and I'm the proud owner of some brand new wine making equipment. Can someone post the amounts of the ingredients for me?

AnnieFarmer wrote:I know this is an old post but I'm hoping to get a response. I just picked over a gallon of Mahonia Berries and thought I'd make wine. Usually I've made jelly or jam from them, because they are so incredibly high in natural pectins. This year has been such a bumper berry crop that I can't face another batch of jam and I'm the proud owner of some brand new wine making equipment. Can someone post the amounts of the ingredients for me?

What does the jam taste like, Annie - or does it have a taste all of its own?

................................................................................................................................The richer we have become materially, the poorer we have become morally and spiritually. We have learned to fly in the air like birds and swim in the sea like fish, but we have not learned the simple art of living together as brothers and sisters.

I have a large bowl of the berries on my kitchen counter right now, 2 brand new wine carboys and a friend who is willing and able to help me with any project involving fermentation. I also have an equal amount of red huckleberries which grow wild around here. Last year I mixed the huckleberries with sour cherries in a jam we called 'Chuckleberry Jam'. It was fabulous and I'll probably be making more of that if the flock of wild banded pigeons will leave me enough cherries!! So I'm in to town for the yeast and more sugar! Wish me luck